Following the statement of Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla absolving the Philippine National Police (PNP) of the killing of construction worker Eric Saber, a labor rights NGO condemns the government for using “loose firearm” claims to justify and sanitize state-sponsored violence.

The Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) said that by attributing the fatal shot to an unidentified weapon, the government is signaling that the PNP can continue its “overkill” responses without fear of accountability. We emphasize that such a narrative is a direct threat to human rights, as it implies that excessive use of force is acceptable as long as a convenient excuse can be manufactured.

Kamz Deligente, CTUHR executive director, said the facts of the September 21 incident remain clear: Eric Saber was innocent who had just exited the LRT Recto station and was shot by police while they were responding to a riot. She noted that the police response was a paranoid “overkill,” featuring the firing of live ammunition that resulted in Saber’s death from a stray bullet, the cowardly use of a civilian shield while firing, and the brutal, indiscriminate beating of both protesters and bystanders (https://web.facebook.com/share/p/1HxvdnPzF6/).

“Secretary Remulla’s claim further allows state forces to treat the Filipino workers’ lives as cheap and expendable. This proves that the murderous legacy of the past administration is very much alive under the current administration,” Deligente added.

This pattern of police overkill and the targeting of peaceful protestors was again on full display during the recent State of the Nation Address protest, where the PNP forcefully arrested approximately 51 youth activists. Just as in Saber’s case, the police utilized high-handed tactics to suppress dissent, failing to provide clear justifications for the arrests while dangerously denying the detainees their fundamental and constitutional right to counsel.

The labor NGO said that while the administration may attempt to absolve the PNP, the reality of police brutality will remain at the center of the people’s demand for justice. “We do not pin our hopes on the lies of state officials who shield abusers; we demand a thorough, independent investigation to hold those responsible for Eric Saber’s death and the systemic ‘overkill’ of the PNP accountable,” Deligente added.